The warehouse and logistics industry is abuzz with initiatives to reduce energy costs, from improved refrigeration to more effective ways of keeping workers warm.
This burst of activity is partly due to HM Government plans to reduce its subsidies to businesses, come the new financial year.
HM Government will hit cold storage units with a double whammy: on the one hand, the new Rating List will increase business rates for warehouses, while on the other it has announced that further financial support for energy costs is "unsustainably expensive". Firms must make their own provisions for soaring bills, come the end of winter.
The result? Sharply rising bills for cold stores, ( and indeed, all energy-hungry warehouses) at the very time when we are desperate for economic stability.
We wish firms well in their cost-cutting, and respectfully suggest that lower business rates are also a goal worth pursuing.
The Government's assumption that warehousing can withstand increased business rates, which are a prominent feature of the new 2023 Rating List will be putting many businesses at considerable risk.
However, this projected cost hike should not go unchallenged. By taking advantage of our free services, firms may benefit from detailed physical surveys of premises, and the evidence of detailed local comparators, in formal Challenges to the Valuation Agency.
If businesses act without delay, there is still time to benefit from six years of rebates, which is a rare instance of financial help in these taxing times.
We're currently enjoying success in winning rates reductions in the warehousing sector, by employing surveyors with specialist experience, armed with sophisticated datasets necessary for formal Challenges to be successful.
The result? Promptly lodged Challenges benefit from a six year rebate, which helps businesses facing a future of decreased government generosity with some confidence.
We offer a free, specialised service, which will take account of rating levels for kindred operations in the community, and a forensic audit of every nook and cranny of premises which, at best, have only received a cursory survey by the Valuation Office.
We'll also aim to take maximum advantage of the (time-limited) opportunity to enjoy six years of rebates.
This is a major saving to set aside the tough news expected from the Treasury in the coming months.
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